A discussion with Riverkeeper President, Tracy Brown and artist Ellen Kozak

211 East 121st Street,New York NY 10035

18 December, 2021

Description

The new Hudson Riverkeeper President, Tracy Brown in conversation with Ellen Kozak at her solo exhibition at the David Richard Gallery. The David Richard Gallery is honored to welcome Tracy Brown, the new President of the not-for-profit environmental organization, Riverkeeper. In conversation with the artist and Riverkeeper Board Member Ellen Kozak, Tracy will talk about the urgent challenges in Riverkeeper's work; the biggest of all stemming from climate change. Q&A will follow. Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguard drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law. Riverkeeper serves a diverse population, from urban dwellers residing in NYC to suburban residents to local fishermen and families. In a major victory, on April 30, 2021, the aging and increasingly dangerous Indian Point Nuclear Plant shut down for good under an agreement reached between New York State, plant owner Entergy and Riverkeeper in 2017. Riverkeeper focuses on three overarching problems facing Hudson River communities: Restoration of the Hudson River ecosystem, with particular emphasis on minimizing fish kills and water pollution;Protection of New York City’s drinking water supply; andSea level rise, its effects on the Hudson River, its shorelines and communities Tracy Brown became President of the environmental organization Riverkeeper on November 1st, 2021. She also holds the title of Hudson Riverkeeper and is the fourth Riverkeeper to lead the organization as President since its founding in 1966. Brown is a recognized leader in clean water advocacy. In Brown's words, "Climate change is the driver of a cascading set of issues. Because of the impacts of climate change, and the stress it’s putting on our environment and our communities, it’s not even enough to continue to do the good work that we’ve been doing at the pace and scale we’ve been doing it at. We actually have to do it at a faster pace and a larger scale." Ellen Kozak, a painter and video artist, has served on the Board of Directors of Riverkeeper, Inc. since 2017 and is currently represented by David Richard Gallery where her solo exhibition "Vigil: New Paintings" is presented through December 23, 2021. Kozak's work has been widely exhibited in galleries and museums in the US and abroad and is included in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hudson River Museum and the Museum of Fine Art Boston, among others. For more than twenty-five years, Kozak has had a studio beside the Hudson in New Baltimore, NY. Her involvement with Riverkeeper began when in 2000, she noticed the Riverkeeper Patrol Boat travelling past her studio every month while painting on site. Below: pumping dredge spoils onto Houghtaling Island, New Baltimore, NY. ATTENTION: Please be advised that seating is limited and only reserve tickets if you can attend. COVID Protocols for Event Attendees – Proof of vaccination is required. – Attendees must wear face masks at all times.